Noldrei looked at Elysia with a touch of pity.
He figured Elysia must be in a very difficult position right now. The Honkai crisis had vanished, yet she was forced to confront the most painful aspects of humanity itself.
She could neither save the bygone Previous Era nor rescue Kevin, who was now trying to 'leave'.
Elysia's life was one of constant loss.
That included herself.
She had come here to seek out the emperor of this era's civilization, to free Kevin from the shackles of Finality.
Noldrei didn't rush to respond to Elysia's request. He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Elysia, do you know how to help someone suffering from the pain of reality to walk out of it?"
Elysia was stunned. She didn't understand how Noldrei could ask such a question.
At this moment, it felt as though he wasn't asking her, but some other, unseen presence.
"I... I don't think I can answer that question. After all, everyone's pain is different. If you want to walk out of pain, there's no single, universally effective answer. A method that works for one person might be useless for another."
Elysia wasn't arrogant enough to think she could help everyone overcome their pain. Even a being of Noldrei's caliber had never thought of resolving all of humanity's suffering.
"The end of life."
"Death can end everyone's pain. Unfortunately, that is a path destined for failure."
"It's just as you think. Kevin can no longer bear the accumulated pain of the Previous Era. No matter how much you persuade him, provoke him, or even debate with him, what Kevin has lost will never return to his hands."
"So, let's assume we give him a chance to get back what he's lost. Suppose he could go back to the past, just like how Otto obtained the authority of the Imaginary Tree... Do you think that would make his own pain disappear?"
Elysia's heart began to beat a little faster. It wasn't because she was having strange thoughts, but because Noldrei was laying it all out so plainly before her, making her feel a little nervous.
She even felt an impulse to run away.
Elysia knew about Noldrei's nasty history of "fishing"—it wasn't impossible that he was trying to get Kevin to work for him.
"What are you trying to do by saying all this?" Elysia's expression was complex. She didn't know if she should keep asking.
"You know, you don't necessarily have to do anything to resolve pain. But there's a difference between accepting pain by choice and accepting it with no choice. The former means clearly knowing what problem you're facing, while the latter is a helpless compromise with reality."
Noldrei's words made Elysia pause for a moment.
Her brow furrowed, and she asked hesitantly, "Is this... considered your form of hospice care for Kevin?"
Noldrei was taken aback by her words. He stepped forward, closing the distance between them and staring into her eyes. "Ely, your way of thinking is very strange. I always feel like you see me as some kind of villain. I don't think I've done anything to wrong you, have I?"
"No!"
Elysia didn't seem to expect Noldrei to suddenly get so close. Her current human body didn't possess much strength.
She took a small step back and said, "I just can't quite figure out what motivates you to think of others. Most of the time, I see your efforts yielding very high returns. And you don't seem to treat it as an emotional investment, even thinking such exchanges are a matter of course."
Elysia knew. Of course she knew.
She herself clearly acted based on personal emotions, but Noldrei was completely different.
The reason he was good to others was that he knew it was the correct way to build relationships, that these were necessary steps to take.
Elysia didn't think Noldrei did these things out of pure utilitarianism. Rather, she knew he acted this way because his understanding of human society was completely different from that of the people of this era.
He didn't think humanity should be like this, so he took the answer key to an open-book test and used it right away.
In the eyes of Bronya and the others, Noldrei was good to everyone, it was just that he often liked to think in terms of political interests.
But compared to his good side, that was a trivial issue.
Elysia was different. She could clearly sense Noldrei's kindness and malice. It wasn't that his kindness was non-existent, just that it was kept at a very stable level. On the other hand, the moment he thought about dealing with someone, a faint malice would overflow like a dark grail.
Especially during the time she was under his control, Elysia had very clearly felt this malice, which would appear from time to time.
How could she not be afraid? A guy like this, filled with malice, was actually thinking about striving for the well-being of human civilization.
It sounded as absurd as a mass-murdering bastard believing that social order was beneficial to him.
Buddhists at least talked about the process of laying down their butcher's knives. This guy was already doing good deeds while still holding the knife.
Noldrei pinched Elysia's chin and asked curiously, "What are you thinking about? Just because I can't read your thoughts right now, you think you can just make up whatever you want about me in your head, huh? You should know, Academy City is currently practicing a new method of 'judging by intent'."
"Mmph... No..."
It was useless for Elysia to try and explain. When she was under Noldrei's control, he had indeed read her mind completely. The dark thoughts and the soft spots of a tens-of-thousands-of-years-old maiden's heart had all been laid bare for him to see.
"Huh? You seem to have gained some weight. A human body is hard to maintain. Be more careful next time. As I thought..."
Noldrei reached out and pinched her tummy, nodding in confirmation. "See, there's some soft flesh here now. You know, Durandal has abs, and even Raiden Mei, who weighs the most among us, doesn't have this. You need to pay attention to a balanced diet."
"Wha-?! Really?!" Elysia completely forgot about Kevin. She lifted her shirt, touched her stomach, and immediately felt the change.
Elysia's whole world crumbled, as if she'd been struck by lightning.
She never expected a human body to be so inconvenient.
"Change me back!"
Noldrei couldn't be bothered with her. He waved his hand dismissively. "This is your own body. The primitive human body is just this inconvenient. In the future, you'll have to deal with various organs aging and needing replacement, and the pain of genetic modification. Figure out how to solve it yourself. What does it have to do with me? It's not like you don't have the power of a Stigma."
The thought of having to carefully control her diet in the future made Elysia wilt instantly.